The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-05-11
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Notes on the Lesson for May
l5-The Call of Moses.

The lesson OF the day is found in the third
chapter of Exodus, verses one to seventeen
lime, l49l B. O., about eighty years after the
events of the last lesson. The place is Mount
Horeb, or sinai, in the wilderness OF the Ara
ban Peninsula.
SPECIAL MENTION.
Aididnites INDIAN was the son of Abraham
by Keturah Gen. 80: p, and the progenitor of
the Midlanitss They are always spoken OF
collectively as INDIAN, except in three or four
instances. IL is supposed that the descendants
of Hagar and keturah intermarried, and that
INDIAN" came 10 be about equivalent 10
Arab" The merchantmen who bought Jo-
seph are called "Ishmaelites" and INDIAN
ties" Gen. 81: 2S). They are supposed to have
dwelt principally in the desert north of the
peninsula of Arabia, and to have extended
southwark along the eastern shore OF the Gulf
OF Eyleh, and northward along the eastern
frontier Of Palestine. The GASES in the desert
of Sinai afforded pasturage for their fiocks,
and were therefore included in land of Mid
ian"
When Moses fed from Egypt he was hospi-
tably entertained by Reuel tile priest or prince
OF INDIAN, to whose daughters he had shown
kindness. One OF these daughters became
his wife, and he dwelt with his father law
forty years, keeping ohis focks (Ex. y De-
scendlng from Abraham, the Midianites must
have had some knowledge of the true God,
and the union in one person OF the prince and
priest points to the custom of the Hebrew
patriarchs. At the same time the violence
shown to Reueps daughters by ~the shepherds
(Ex. 2: ~, presumably his own people, shows
that even the respect for prince and priest
had well nigh died out among the Midanites.
They were children of the desert Ishmaelites,
whose hand was against every man. CThe Ex-
aminer).
Land of indian. INDIAN was a country in
Arabia Petrea, deriving its name from INDIAN,
the fourth son of Abraham by Keturah- 1t
was situated on the south OF the Dead Sea and
the land of Moab, and probably comprehended
the whole country, as far south as the Red
Sea. IL is at least certain that If the country
of INDIAN did not actually reach to Sinai, there
were colonies of the Midianites who settled
near that mount and who also gave the sur
rounding districts the name of the @Land OF
INDIAN" Among those emigrants who pre-
served the worship of God in comparative
purity when lost among their countrymen in
the north, was Jethro, with whose family
Moses here comes into connection. (Bush)
Jethro Also called Raguel (Num 10: 29)
and Reuel lex. 2: 1S). He Is thought to have
been a descendant Of Abraham Gen %: y
He was priest prince, of indian, though
very little is known to the nature or rank
of his Office.
Noses education No details of the early
life of Moses are furnished by the Bible, and
the want can only be supplied by the fanciful
| inventions of tradition. His training Sin all
| the wisdom Of the Egyptians" must have fol-
| lowed as necessary consequence from his
! adoption by Thermonthis, which itself incor-
| porated him into the royal family and into the
| priesty caste. In what this wisdom consisted
| 1t Is not easy to learn, but it must have in
| Guided much that was lofty and attractive,
since the wisest of the Greeks-Lycurgus,
Scion, Thales, Pythagoras, Democritus, Plato.
and others-borrowed from it many of theft
principles in politics, geometry, astronomy.
| and physics (Geikie, condensed)
Noses shepherd life. This both in its nat
ure and location was splendid discipline fol
the great work of his life. No region more
favorable to the attainment Of a lofty concep-
| ton of the Almighty could be found The
| grand, sublmely silent mountain world
around, with its bold, abrupt masses Of gran
lite, greensboro, and porphyry, fills the spirit
! with solemn earnestness. In this sanctuary
of the hills, awaiting the time when the ad-
vancing purpose of God had ripened Israel
| for the great movement of it's deliverance,
Moses was unconsciously preparing for the
mighty task before him. In those calm years
| 40 every problem to be solved IN the organ
ization of a people would rise successfully
| In his mind and find Its solution; and, above
all, his own soul must have been disciplined
and purified, by isolation from tho world and
closer and moro continual communion with
| God. (Geikie.)
Nount Hore6. The names Of Horeb and
Sinai are INTERCHANGEABLE in the Scriptures to
designate the Smountain of God" whereon the
first used, in connection with Moses visit
when God spoke to him from the @burning
bush" (Ex. 8: la. Sinai begins to be used
after the Israelites have arrived before the
mount (Ex. 10: /, y; and that the mountain
is constantly called by that name so long al
they remained there (Ex. 10: Is, 26, %; "a: 16
| 81: 2, 4, 20, 80; Lev. z: SO; %: / Mum. 8:
rs: g; Deut 3S: 2) But Horeb is again en-
ployed in Moses recapitulation Of the wilder
! ness journey (Deut l: 9, 10, in several gen
erai references to the place Where the law wa,
given (Deut. 4: 10 Is; 5: % and when men
ton Is made OF the worship of the golden cali
Deut 9: s.. II also occurs in the books o.
Kings and Chronicles in connection will
Chr. 5: 10 In the Psalms botE
names are used-Sinai when the giving of the
law is mentioned Horeb when the reference
is to the worship Of the calf (Ps 6S: 8, II
LOG: l9). @And while the general identity o.
Sinai and Horeb," says Keil, Smay be in
ferred from this, the fact that whenever tn,
intention of the writer is to give precise ant
geographical description of the place wher,
the law was given the name of Sinai is en-
ployed, leads TO the conclusion that the tern
Horeb was more general and comprehensive
than that of Sinai-in other words, that
Horeb was the range. of which Sinai
was one particular mountain, which onl,
came prominently out to view when Israe
had arrived at the mount of legislation
This distinction between the two names
is now generally admitted" Horeb was called
"the mountain of God" doubtless on accoun
of the stupendous events associated with il il
the minds of the people of Israel Canor
Cook observes, however, that ION the othel
hand, il is assumed that the spot was pre-.
viousIy held sacred For this there is no an
cent authority; though it has lately beer
shown that the whole peninsula was regarded
by the Egyptians as specially cOnsecrated Il
the gods from very early time" 1t is indeed
a spot we'll fitted TO inspire mems minds will
a sense of their own nsgnifcance in the sigh
of Him who made those awful heights, anC
who from their SUBMITS proclaimed His Law
amid fire, and darkness, ana tempest lTh
Examiner.
sEED-TRUTHs AND GERM THOUGHTS
l. A lonely way and humble service may
bring TO tn place Of God ". ~.
.. Faithful performance OF present duty tn,
condition and preparation for enlarged useful
ness ". H.
3 The least things and persons may be dig
nified, sanctified, gorified by the divine pres
ence w. y.
4 The duty of turning aside to conside
spiritual truths and facts and claims ". 3.
| >. God knows every individual by name
and in every act aud thought ". ~.
d We shoull have a reverent spirit and b
watchful of holy places, times and things "
y
e Go graciously and tenderly reveals him
| self to those who love and fear him ". o.
3 The greatness Of the trouble and peril j
The measure of the divine compassion an
hep (vs. Z, s.
q Gods purposes completely control an